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Four earn ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District honors

May 21, 2010

Four earn ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District honors

University Park, Pa. — Four Penn State student-athletes have been named ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District 2, the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) announced today. Senior men's volleyball middle hitter Max Lipsitz (Williamsville, N.Y.) and senior women's gymnast Brandi Personett (Katy, Texas) were named to the first team, while senior field hockey player Amy Bonenberger (Palmyra, Pa.) and sophomore men's gymnast Miguel Pineda (Galloway, Ohio) earned second team accolades. Lipsitz and Personett are now eligible for ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America honors, to be released at the beginning of June.

This is the second honor of Lipsitz's career as he picked up first team Academic All-District accolades in 2008. Lipsitz recently earned his finance degree, graduating with a 3.43 grade point average (GPA). In his final season with the Nittany Lion men's volleyball team, Lipsitz guided PSU to its sixth NCAA Championship match appearance. The team finished the season with a 24-8 mark, including an undefeated 10-0 record in EIVA play. Lipsitz was named an AVCA First Team All-American for the second straight year, was named the NCAA Championship All-Tournament Team and led the nation with a .524 hitting percentage. He led the Nittany Lions in blocking, averaging 1.42 blocks per set, and was third on the team with 3.61 kills per set.

Personett picked up her second Academic All-District honor after earning second team laurels in 2009. Personett, who holds a 3.77 in nursing, is a five-time first team All-American and finished second in the nation on floor at the 2010 NCAA National Championships. She earned All-America status on beam in 2008, floor in 2009 and beam, floor and the all-around this season. A four-time All-Big Ten First Team selection, Personett was honored as the Big Ten Gymnast of the Year for the second year in a row at the 2010 Big Ten Gymnastics Championship and was a five-time Big Ten Gymnast of the Week during her senior season. In addition, Personett was one of four finalists for the Honda Award for women's gymnastics and one of six finalists for the AAI Award.

Bonenberger is a three-time Academic All-Big Ten and four-time NFHCA National Academic Squad honoree. A 2009 team captain, Bonenberger finished fifth on the team with eight points having scored two goals and tallying four assists. A strong presence on defense, Bonenberger was part of a unit that allowed only four goals against two nationally ranked squads at the Big Ten Tournament. She also posted a career-best two assists in the opening round upset of Ohio State and earned a spot on the Big Ten All-Tournament team for the second time in her career. Bonenberger holds a 3.87 GPA in kinesiology and movement science and hopes to earn a doctorate in physical therapy.

Pineda competed in every meet in 2010, anchoring the Penn State men's gymnastics team on pommel horse and still rings. He earned 11 top three finishes in three different events capturing four still rings titles and one parallel bars title. A 2009 CGA First Team All-American Scholar Athlete, Pineda finished the season ranked No. 8 in the nation in the still rings. Pineda currently has a 3.99 GPA in science, which was the highest GPA among district 2 Second Team honorees. His GPA qualified him for NCAA Elite 88 Award consideration.

To be nominated for ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District consideration, a student-athlete must be a starter or key reserve with at least a 3.30 cumulative GPA (on a 4.0 scale), and must be a sophomore in both athletic and academic standing. All First Team Academic All-District honorees from each of the eight districts advance to the national ballot and are eligible for ESPN The Magazine Academic all-America honors